Out of Many, One
by agalaxynotsofaraway
Summary: A counter proposal may not have been what Kylo Ren was expecting, but it was what he got. (mild Reylo whoops)
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: Naturally I saw TLJ and was automatically consumed by Reylo. Kind of starts at the throne room scene but it's slightly modified of course. It's my first fanfic so forgive me if it's a little slow to begin with. I promise more to come. Enjoy :)**

 ** _Out of Many, One_**

They stood there facing each other arms out with the lightsaber of Anakin Skywalker suspended in the middle. The Force flowed through and connected them as if they were one being, one whole. As the lightsaber snapped and flew across the room both Rey and Kylo Ren took a moment to compose themselves. The weapon of a legend just scattered in pieces like a child's toy. They both eyed each other waiting to see who would make the next move.

"You come from nothing. You're nothing," he said, "but not to me."

"Join me," he asked, slowly extending his hand out towards the girl before desperately uttering a quiet

"Please"

He knew it was a long shot but just as she saw the light in him he saw the lost in her. He genuinely wanted her to join him, to work with him side by side for a new start to the galaxy. He had felt so alone for so long and now there was finally someone who knew what it was like.

Rey knew what he meant when he offered his hand to her. A new life. She could get away and be safe. She could save Ben Solo. But at what cost to the galaxy. Rey drew in a deep breath and Kylo saw the flashes in her eyes, as if she was contemplating every scenario. He understood the severity of what he was asking her. Rey finally met the man's gaze. A face that was no longer hidden but tarnished with a scar she had put there. She reached out and the brief contact they felt through the Force became reality.

"No Ben," the girl dared, "I want you to join me"

Kylo froze. He wasn't caught off guard by this proposition but there was something else about it. Perhaps it was the never ending hope of the scavenger or the chance to find a new path.

"I don't need a teacher," she continued, "we can learn together. We both have the light and dark inside of us we can become each other's equals, and our opposites"

Kylo takes his hand out of hers. Now it's his turn to think. He killed his father, and he doubted his mother much less the Resistance would be very welcoming. On the contrary there was nothing here for him. He was alone and she knew it but he couldn't let it show.

"Rey we could rule as one," he begged "light and dark you and I together over the galaxy."

She gave him a sad smile.

"Don't you see Ben. You don't need the galaxy. Come home."

Those two little words broke him faster than she expected. She could see the pain and conflict dance across his face. Behind his dark eyes there was a new spark of hope. Home. Something he hadn't known in years. He took a step closer to her. She wasn't expecting the movement and instinctively moved back. While the reaction was automatic he began to sneer as if she was still afraid of him and what he had done.

"How can it still be my home when I've done something to hurt everyone there. I need to let the past die. I need to start new."

Now it was Rey's turn to step forward. It was one step and then she slowly moved close enough to feel his breath on her face.

"You've made mistakes, we all have. But I believe Ben Solo can still be saved and I know I'm not the only one to think so."

She sees it in his face. He was seriously considering her offer. But in a flash it was gone.

"I'm a monster I can't be saved."

Rey glanced over the looming man in front of her. She looked sympathetically at him and apologized. Rey then whipped around taking out his knees, his body slamming to the floor. She then did her best to gently drag an unconscious Kylo Ren all the way to a hangar where an old piece of junk sat waiting to be boarded.


	2. Chapter 2

Kylo Ren groaned as he slowly came back to conciousness. Rey's tiny frame couldn't bring him very far so he was laying in the hallway of a ship he hadn't seen in a while. A small family of porgs chirped from the corner.

"WHAT THE HELL" he roared. A wookie roared back in response. He groggily sat up. His vision was still blurry as he looked around the ship slowly realizing where he was. The wookie roared again, expecting a reply, but Kylo Ren sat in silence. It had been years since he last roamed these halls. Playing hide and seek, copiloting the ship, trying get into whatever his father told him to stay out of. Rey had dared to bring him aboard his childhood home. It left Kylo wondering what the girl's intentions were. He got up, and staggered toward the cockpit almost in a daze. He could feel the rage boiling within him. Everything he tried to convince her to do, she had done the opposite. While he wanted them to throw away the past, she brought him back to the very things he was trying to forget. He passed the table where he and his mother had played Dejarik so many times. The wookie was sitting there watching him meander through. This time Chewbacca was silent, having not yet forgotten what Kylo did to his father. Now on the trek to the cockpit every single spark of grief, rage and emotion seemed to emerge and he had only one person he wanted to take it out on.

But then he rounded the corner. He saw her sitting in his fathers chair. Somehow even in the depths of space she still managed to look beautifully innocent. The cockpit was small as it is and the way she behaved in it made it seem like the ship was her own. He loomed in the doorway for a moment before Rey finally acknowledged his presence.

"I see you're awake, good"

"Why did you bring me here"

"Ben I am in no mood to deal with this now"

"Why did YOU BRING ME HERE" he yelled as he threw his first into the wall.

"BEN," Rey cried, "stop stop stop you're going to screw up the hyperdrive!" She hurled herself in front of the wall right as Kylo planned on delivering the final blow. Instead of hitting the wall, he hit her. Rey gasped, touched her cheekbone and felt the gash he had left. He lowered his fist and took turns looking at his hand and then at her. Rey watched as guilt emerged from the depths of his dark eyes.

"Rey..."

"You know what Kylo Ren, this was a bad idea. I thought you could be saved, I mean of course you could you have the light in you. But you also have the temper of a bitching 6 year old. I won't do it. I'm done. You do whatever the hell you want." Rey put the Falcon in autopilot and stormed towards the sleeping quarters. Kylo Ren was left with the fact that he had just hurt the only person in the galaxy who was stupid enough to trust him.

 **A/N: Whelp Chapter 2. I hope you all are enjoying it. I know these chapters are kinda short but I'm just trying to space things out in a way that (hopefully) makes sense lol. Thanks for much for reading!**


	3. Chapter 3

Apologies were never really Kylo Ren's thing. He was always right and everyone had seemed to go with it. He knew he messed up though. It pained him to know the hurt he caused. Normally he'd just walk away leaving it all behind but instead he was stuck with it, on a ship going god knows where. He paced in the cockpit until he finally decided to make his way to the sleeping quarters. He stopped right outside the closed door. He was going to knock. Instead he sat on the floor with his back leaning up against the door. He pushed gently with the force and felt her despair. He knew she was near the door so he took a deep breath and started:

"When I was younger I would go with my dad when he would do smuggling runs. My mom never approved and we didn't need the money so I just assumed it was something he wanted to do for fun. The thrill of sneaking behind the Empire's back, knowing he was doing something unallowed. There was one time I went with him and we were going to an uncharted planet. It was home to some refugees and we were the ones who were bringing supplies. When we got there my dad and Chewie unloaded everything from the Falcon and he told me to stand guard. Unless he gave his special knock I was to attack anyone who tried to board the ship."

Rey snorted having moved to sit like him, back leaning against the door but on the opposite side.

"You guys had a secret knock? It's hard to imagine Kylo Ren being a part of something so adorable"

Kylo chuckled, "would you just let me finish the story," he added. "So he gave me his blaster. A smart choice naturally nothing a 9 year old couldn't handle. I stood by the entrance as one hour passed and then two. They must've ran into trouble on the planet because they came racing back to the ship 8 hours later then expected. In the rush however my father forgot to do the secret knock. So as he boarded the ship I shot him right in the shoulder with the blaster. Knowing my father I'm sure he would've been angry but laughed about how I followed his orders. That was if I stopped there. I saw him turning around, I registered the fact that the person in front of me was not dangerous and I still shot him again. It was the disappointment in his eyes that made me drop the blaster and run and hide. I stayed hidden for the rest of the trip, and when I got back I went to train with Luke. The rest is history. I had never said a word to my father after that and I regret it."

"You know if you hadn't killed him you might've been able to have a redeeming conversation," Rey quipped. She was actually interested. This was a whole new side of Ben Solo and believe it or not she actually liked this part of him.

"You think I don't know that?" He said sadly, "I did what I had to do but that doesn't mean I don't have to live with it for the rest of my life. So before something like that happened again I just wanted to apologize." That wasn't really what he was going for but now Kylo was waiting for a reaction. Something, anything. After what seemed like an eternity Rey finally said

"I would be willing to bet that's the nicest thing you've ever said."

Kylo let out the faintest smile. He could tell she was trying to hide her true emotions behind the remark, but he could feel it within him that not all was lost. They sat there for hours back to back with the door between them. They shared childhood stories, laughed and it was the happiest they both had been in a while. Eventually Rey had grown quiet and Kylo couldn't help but admit he was concerned.

"Rey?"

Nothing. He quickly got up and opened the door to the sleeping quarters. She had fallen asleep against the door and he grabbed her before she fell to the floor. He held her there for a moment, awkwardly trying to make sure she doesn't get hurt, before picking her up bridal style, just like on Takodana. Gently, he placed her on the bed and pulled the blanket over her before sitting in the bed across from hers. He sat there for a moment, watching the girl capable of so much love, before he rolled over and fell asleep.

Rey had woken up the instant Kylo opened the door. She was going to get up but was surprised when he caught her. Instead of it being awkward she just decided to pretend to be asleep. She may not be been able to see anything but she could feel the tenderness and warmth that radiated from Ben Solo. When she heard him roll over she moved back around. She wanted to thank him, or say anything really but she didn't. Rey laid there puzzling over the man. She HAD to be nice to him, she was trying to bring him back to the Resistance, back to the light side. So then why the hell was he being nice to her?


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N: So it's been a hot minute. Life got in the way and just casually delayed this a few months. These are my final chapters for this story so let's hope they aren't too terrible. I'm not entirely sure how I ended up at the ending I did but I just wanted something different. Enjoy :)**

Rey had woken up first and took advantage of that to observe the man in the bed across from her. Part of her recognized her mistake bringing the murderous Kylo Ren straight to the Resistance. On the other hand she hoped that Ben Solo would know he was home. She grimaced at the fact she'd have to tell Leia what she did, and a conversation between the two was enevitable. Not just Leia, Finn and Poe both of which were not fans of the man she had taken. To her Ben just needed to be taken under someone's wing. He needed love and compassion and Rey had hoped that what she was doing was a step in the right direction. While sleeping Ben Solo looked nothing like the angsty Kylo Ren from a few days before. He looked peaceful, his nose twitching as in response to something in his dream, and almost content. Rey smiled, this was what she wanted for him.

Kylo woke up to the sounds of muffled arguing coming through the walls of the Falcon. It was Rey and Chewie, and he decided to check it out. He meandered into the main area exhausted while the hushed conversation quickly stopped. They both looked at him when he walked in.

"I know you were talking about me," Kylo sighed, "how are we going to do this?"

According to Rey they were almost at the rendezvous with Resistance, and undeniable was coming.

"I figured I would leave the ship first and play damage control. I'd try to thin the crowd a little before you come off. Ideally the fewer people who know the better. I was going to try to reach Leia through the Force to explain" Rey responded.

"Why? Not everyone wants to watch the humiliation of Kylo Ren?" Kylo sneered. Rey gave him a pointed look and without warranting him a response proceeded to talk to Chewie.

"I -em- actually have one request," began Kylo, "let me be the one to talk to my mother." The look of surprise on both the girl and the Wookie's faces shocked him. "Look I never agreed to any of this but since I have no choice let me do this my way."

Chewbacca gave a half-hearted roar of agreement.

"Okay it's decided then" stated Rey. "We're getting off together. Ben, you let me explain first before you start talking. They barely know me as it is, bringing the Supreme Leader to the Resistance probably isn't the best move for first impressions."

"Why should you care what they think?" Kylo asked

"I'm sorry... what?" Rey responded.

Chewbacca had migrated back to the cockpit leaving the two of them alone.

"I said why should you care what they think. You're so strong and resilient you can take anything that's thrown at you." Something of a blush crept up Rey's cheeks.

"Why are you saying this?" She asked timidly.

"Because you deserve to know it" He responded. He gently tucked a piece of hair behind her ears before she started talking.

"I really hope this works out Ben I do, but this," she gestures to his hand, "makes no sense. I knocked you out and am dragging you to the Resistance -the bane of your existence- and you're tucking hair behind my ear? If I knew any better I'd say the ship is bringing out the Solo in you." Kylo smirked. Normally at any mention of his father he'd lose all control, but the teasing manner of the scavenger made him forget the darkness behind it. She brought this whole other side to him, one that thrives on teasing and banter.

"Who knows maybe it is? I'm a Solo who was just saved by a beautiful brunette, I can see the parallels." Kylo winked and left the room leaving a highly embarrassed Rey to her thoughts.

They reached the Resistance a short while later and before long the only thing separating the pair and their fate is the ramp to the Millenium Falcon. Rey gave Kylo's hand a small squeeze before lowering the walkway. Dozens of eyes widened and then narrowed as the face of the Supreme Leader became clear. Rey shot a nervous glance back at him before stepping out. She was cut off before she even got a word out.

"Rey?" "REY!" Finn yelled dashing across the hangar. He darted through the people before slowing down, a look of horror spreading across his face. "What is HE doing here?"

"I convinced him to come with us." Rey started. The lie would be worth it, she knew that much. She gave a sympathetic look to Kylo, this wasn't exactly how everything was planned. "He defected from the First Order." Any sort of murmurmring in the crowd had stopped. First it was for Rey's statement but then the people shifted revealing Leia standing at the entrance of the hangar. Her poise and elegance captured the room as she walked over to the pair. She only took a moment to gaze into her son's eyes before briskly stating,

"The two of you. Come with me."

They followed Kylo's mother through the halls of the Resistance finally making it to her private room.

"I'm going to save the reunion for later, we have business to deal with first. Rey, as much as the Resistance values your commitment there's no way this will go unchallenged. You acted against almost everything we go by despite your best intentions. As for you Kylo Ren, we're going to have difficulties convincing others to let you stay here. I know you came here with the best intentions, and I'm glad you're here son, but there's only so much I can do to protect you. We can discuss this more in depth later, I need to play crowd control." She put a hand on his cheek before heading for the door. As she was leaving a quiet "Welcome home Ben" was heard by the duo. Kylo looked visibly paler and moved to sit down, Rey only a few steps behind him. She tentatively placed her hand on his before leaning on his shoulder.

"We'll get through this." She said "Together ."


	5. Chapter 5

Rey finally got a chance to be by herself after arriving back at the Resistance. It was overwhelming, the countless meeting and bombardment of questions was not something she missed. She found a small storage room in the back of the site. It was tiny and inconspicuous, and Rey hurriedly closed the door and slumped to the floor. The events over the past few days had taken more of a toll on her than she expected. Not even 5 minutes later Kylo burst in.

"Sorry," he began sheepishly "I has looking for a place to hide"

"It's fine, I did the same" Rey smiled and motioned for him to sit down. They got comfortable and Rey zoned out, lost in thought. Kylo waited a few moments before asking,

"What's on your mind?"

"You know" Rey began "your father offered me a job on Takodana. I was going to take it too." She chuckled, "Just imagine how different our lives could be. What if what happened with Luke never did. If you went back home to your mom and dad, no First Order or Surpreme Leader... Do you think we ever would've met each other?"

"Whatever happened in past should stay there" sighed Kylo "I wish things went differently but we're here now and that's all that matters." They sat in silence before Rey piped up.

"I'm sorry for trying to shoot you the first time I saw you"

"No apologies necessary, something had to snap me out of the trance I was in." Kylo responded quickly, very nonchalant.

Rey stuttered "..w-what?"

"It was the first time I saw you. You just put me in awe. That being said admittedly my reasons for taking you as my guest were selfish, but I don't regret it.

Rey just stared, flabbergasted at how forward the man sitting across from her was. He looked at her expectantly, as if for another time she would say something to turn him away. She slowly began,

"I remember seeing you when you took off your mask for the first time. You looked so young Ben. I actually had to stop myself from smiling. Despite the menacing killer you actually were you looked so innocent. And the hair..." Rey giggled "I could not get over the hair"

"What about my hair?" He responded defensively

"Nothing. It was just... normal. Cute even. What was under the mask was not at all what I was expecting"

"Is that a bad thing?"

"I don't know yet."

She reached out, her fingers tracing over the scar on his face "I am so sorry" Kylo gently grabbed her hand.

"Why"

"Because they think you're a threat"

"I am"

Tears started streaming freely down Rey's face, "Because they don't understand"

"I can't expect them to"

"Then why stay?"

Kylo paused for a moment. "You can't tell?"

"No?"

"You"

"Oh" Rey got really quiet. "Then I'm sorry again"

"For?"

"For bringing you here. For doing this to you"

"It may not have been my choice but I'd rather it this way than any other"

"I think we could come to enjoy each other's company"

"I already do"

"Hm, so do I" Rey took another long pause before looking in his eyes. "I'm just so sorry"

"For what now? Rey you can't apologize to me everyday for the rest of our time together"

"Because they're making me do this" Rey adjusted herself and climbed into his lap. She looked up at him and wrapped a hand around his neck. She brought his forehead to hers. The other hand brought out Luke Skywalker's lightsaber.

"It was beyond Leia's control" Rey states, tears streaming down her face, "the council... they decided you were too much of a risk. You were too brash. I tried explaining to them. I need you to understand I really did. Instead they classified me as a sympathizer, a fair point seeing I went to you. But then they told me for my punishement I had to do this. If not I'd be placed in exile for 6 months and then executed. Ben, they'd make me be alone before they killed me. I just... There's still so much light in you Ben. So much potential. I am so sorry."

Kylo looked at her with watering eyes. "I understand. And I knew."

"You knew?"

"I'm not stupid. I'm the Supreme Leader on the base of my sworn enemies. That's actually why I came here. I wanted to say what I needed to say, and help you out."

"I barely know you and I can tell you've changed so much" Rey cries as she engulfs him in a hug.

Kylo stroked her head smoothing her hair and playing with her buns. "Don't pity me. I have done enough. You have a full life ahead of you who am I to stop it."

"I don't think I can do it"

"You have to"

"Ben..." she rose and kissed his forehead "I am so so sorry. I will never forget you."

Kylo gave her a sad smile. "It's better this way. If you forget me I can just show up as a force ghost and remind you of everything" he tried as a joke. Rey swatted him on the arm.

"Don't joke Ben this is serious. Leave your Solo genes on the Falcon."

"So you'll think of me everytime you're on it?"

"I think it'll be hard to forget that handsome man some brunette saved a few days ago." She replyed playfully.

"Ah," Kylo chuckled "I'm handsome now?" Rey, who had stopped crying, had now started again.

"Of course you're handsome, have you seen yourself in black?" He chuckled again and Rey sobbed. It was his turn to wrap her up in a hug, engulfing her while planting kisses in her hair. "I think that's the first time I heard you laugh."

"Until I met you I never had a reason to"

Rey just looked at him with the saddest eyes "Are you ready?" She asked.

"I just want you to know," began Ben, very hesitantly, "With time, and patience I think I would've loved you."

Rey cried even harder as she ignited the blade that it seared through Ben Solo.

"I think I would've loved you too"


End file.
